[BUG] VS Code extension keeps getting logged out when the Claude desktop app is also signed in (shared credentials on Windows)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Title: VS Code extension keeps getting logged out when the Claude desktop app is also signed in (shared credentials on Windows)

Environment:

• Windows 10 Pro (10.0.19045)
• Claude Code VS Code extension 2.1.300
• Claude desktop app (Code tab) running at the same time

Expected:
The desktop app and the VS Code extension should not overwrite or clear each other's login,
or they should share it safely.

Workaround:
Launch VS Code with CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR pointing to a separate folder, so the extension uses its own credential store.

What Should Happen?

What happens:
The VS Code extension repeatedly loses its login. The extension log shows this line roughly every 3 minutes:
"The signed-in account changed outside this window (another account signed in); refreshing every webview"
followed later by "[Bootstrap] Skipped: no usable OAuth, WIF, or API key".
Afterwards ~/.claude/.credentials.json has an empty accessToken/refreshToken and expiresAt = 0.

Additional finding: logouts line up with network drops. I use Proton VPN with the advanced (permanent) kill switch.
The credentials file was wiped at 10:01:07 and the VPN reported 'ServerUnreachable' at 10:02:05.
Yesterday the login was lost during VPN outages at 16:14–16:27 and 21:56–21:59 (PingTimeoutError).
A dropped connection during token refresh seems to leave the client without a valid token, which signs it out.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Launch VS Code with CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR pointing to a separate folder, so the extension uses its own credential store.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.300

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

Other

Additional Information

Additional finding: logouts line up with network drops. I use Proton VPN with the advanced (permanent) kill switch.
The credentials file was wiped at 10:01:07 and the VPN reported 'ServerUnreachable' at 10:02:05.
Yesterday the login was lost during VPN outages at 16:14–16:27 and 21:56–21:59 (PingTimeoutError).
A dropped connection during token refresh seems to leave the client without a valid token, which signs it out.
_No response_